Speaking after talks at Downing Street yesterday with the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, the North's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, said that he was still "quite sure" that the decommissioning impasse would be resolved.
Mr Trimble said that all paramilitaries were capable of decommissioning their weapons. The reality was "not a matter of they can't do, it's a matter, so far, that they won't do, and I don't think society can tolerate that".
He said that there would be "considerable scepticism" if a new decommissioning timetable was proposed, because a timetable already existed in the Belfast Agreement: "The problem with the timetable is that there is one. It's in the agreement. The agreement is absolutely clear about the end of the timetable, which is May 2000. Implicitly, the agreement doesn't spell out when the timetable should begin, but it is implicit that it should begin with the making of the decommissioning schemes . . . and that was last June. So we've got a timetable that's there, in effect, in the agreement."
He had hoped for "significant developments" on decommissioning this week. "But it hasn't . . . it is a demand being made by all of society to people who can do it, but so far, for reasons not known to us, are refusing to do so."
He said that his discussions with the Prime Minister had enabled both sides to maintain "close contact" ahead of next week's meetings in Washington.
The Downing Street talks were attended by the UUP's deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, and assembly member Sir Reg Empey. The Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, was also present.
Dr Mowlam said after the meeting that she was sure President Clinton would do "everything he could" to help resolve the decommissioning impasse. It was important for all parties to "see where we've got to and what we can do for the following three weeks".
Asked what the British government's next step would be if the Good Friday deadline slipped, Dr Mowlam insisted: "That's what we're aiming for." She added that she was not "planning for failure".